Head coach Dennis Allen says he and his coaching staff are discussing ways in which to use former Ohio State quarterback in offense

Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor got some playing time for the Raiders this summer in exhibition games. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

With their season going nowhere, the Raiders are discussing the possibility of activating quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor, the second-year former Ohio State star, has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game in the NFL and is considered a bit of a project. Though he showed a great arm and quick feet in appearances in exhibition games this summer, Pryor has been inactive for every regular-season game in 2012 and is listed No. 3 on the depth chart behind starter Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.

But on Monday, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said he and his coaching staff are pondering the idea of giving Pryor some game action to see what he can do.

“He’s working to get better and he’s working to improve,” Allen told the media in his Monday news conference. “I’ve seen improvement in Terrelle. He’s gotten better as a quarterback. He’s continued to work. I don’t think any of us feel like he’s the finished product, including himself, but he has worked to improve.”

How Pryor would be used wasn’t specified.

He could be used as a change-of-pace, special-situation quarterback in a wildcat-type formation, or used in some other special package, reported Corkran, in which Pryor’s size, strength and speed could be effective.

Throwing younger quarterbacks into the action has become a trend in the NFL in recent years, from Colin Kaepernick across the bay in San Francisco, to Robert Griffin III in Washington, Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, Cam Newton in Carolina, Russell Wilson in Seattle and Ryan Tannehill in Miami.

As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle noted, the Raiders could use Pryor in the red zone, where Oakland ranks 29th in the NFL in touchdown production, scoring TDs just 39 percent of the time. Pryor’s ability as a runner could give the Raiders an edge in that area and give defenses something extra to think about.